Three unique opportunities for Philadelphia area high school students are described in detail below.
The PhysicianTrack Program (PTP) was established as a multi-year program to empower high school students from Philadelphia who aspire to physician careers, but whose circumstances or resources make it difficult for them to achieve that goal. The program envisions novel enrichment and mentoring that supports Philadelphia high school students through their junior and senior years and their first year of college. The high school portion of the program involves two consecutive summers of a novel wilderness medicine experience after sophomore and junior years of high school, with medical student mentoring and enrichment experiences/activities during the high school years and the first year of college.
The Educational Pipeline Program (EPP) is dedicated to strengthening the medical education pipeline by introducing Philadelphia high school students to careers in the medical sciences. EPP is a collaborative initiative involving the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Veterinary Medicine, Master of Public Health Program, and the Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management (LSM) at the University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with the Netter Center for Community Partnerships.
The program is structured around three core components: classroom enrichment, mentorship, and career exposure. Students are placed into specialized tracks that provide focused experiences, including a dedicated life sciences management track that highlights innovations at the intersection of science, technology, and business.
Throughout the program, students engage in didactic sessions on medical and life sciences topics, participate in anatomy dissection and biological sciences labs, receive one-on-one mentorship, and attend field trips to local institutions in the medical, technology, and life sciences sectors. A distinguishing feature of EPP is its 360-degree teaching model: all sessions are led by undergraduate and medical students, with support and guidance from faculty physicians and educators. This peer-led approach fosters meaningful mentorship and growth for both students and instructors.
The program curriculum is highlighted below:
Fall
Didactic based sessions taught in school-day science classrooms
Spring
Hands-on experiential learning sessions taught at the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine
Field trips related to the intersection of technology and medicine
Summer
Public health focused group-based projects
Established in 2004, the Provost’s Summer Mentorship Program (SMP) is a summer college and career preparatory experience offered to Philadelphia rising 10th and 11th-grade students. SMP participants attend an immersive, campus-based, four-week summer program that includes hands-on, experiential learning-based programming provided through creatively designed curricula that center career exploration facilitated by participating Penn Graduate and Professional School partners. In addition to hands-on experiential learning, participants gain educational enrichment in areas related to financial literacy, Study Skills, Time Management, SAT test preparation, personal statement writing, and other information and skills required to be successful in the college application process.
